A little rain wasn’t going to stop a local Secaucus tradition. In fact, the 20th Annual Fishing Derby, which took place a week ago Saturday at the Anthony Just Memorial Duck Pond, drew a crowd of roughly 100 residents despite the gloomy weather.
Just around 9 a.m., anglers of all ages dotted the banks of the pond. The scene looked like that of a professional fishing competition, but had the distinct air of a mass family gathering. Fishing poles and tackle boxes were scattered across the grass. Children splashed playfully in puddles, holding the accessories of the day, pink and purple Disney Princess and Dora the Explorer umbrellas.
Eighty anglers registered in total to see who could catch the largest and the most fish. Catfish and bass were stocked by the Secaucus Recreation Department and released into the pond on Friday, May 7. The pond already contained a large supply of sunfish, carp, and eel.
One would think that the most experienced of the bunch would be the most skilled, but that certainly wasn’t the case, as 4-year-old resident Ryan Worthington proved.
“One time I caught up to 13 sunnies at once!” – Emily Vasquez, 6
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“We got lots of bites so far,” said local Rachel Zemak, who came to the event with her husband Robert Zemak and sons Alex, 7, and Chris, 5.
Attending the event every year, Rachel admitted that they wouldn’t miss it for anything.
“They didn’t care if it was raining. We’d still come,” she said.
At that moment, her sons felt a tug on their fishing line.
“Score one for Chris! Score one for Alex!” said Robert as he picked up the freshly caught sunfish to get measured.
Helpers, including John Flanajan, walked around the pond with rulers measuring the fish that were caught.
“So far the biggest one caught was a-12 inch Catfish,” said Flanajan at around 10 a.m. “The smallest, a 4-inch sunny.”
Emily Vasquez, 6, knows the secret to catching sunnies.
“I caught my most sunnies with this,” she said, as she tapped her finger on her pink baseball cap. “One time I caught up to 13 sunnies at once!”
Her mother, Alida Vasquez, noted that the pond isn’t just useful during this yearly derby.
“We come here every weekend,” she said.
Catching fish might not only be about lucky charms. Resident John Spirito, who came to the fishing derby with 5-year-old grandson Jack Spirito, thinks it’s all about the type of bait you use.
“We use worm for the bass and bread for the channel cats,” Jack Spirito said.
This trick may just have worked for his grandson, who sat at the edge of the pond on a small folding chair, watching the water patiently.
“He caught four last year. That’s his career high,” John laughed.
History
The well-loved fishing derby has a long history in Secaucus. According to Chief of Police Dennis Corcoran, the event started off with himself, former Mayor Just, and current Mayor Michael Gonnelli, along with other sponsors.
The pond itself went through a complete cleanup, winning an NJ DEP award for its restoration.
“This was a real mess, anything you could think of was in here,” said Mayor Gonnelli. He remembered a time when the pond stretched out to three times its current size and was surrounded by meadows.
“We used to hunt out here when I was a kid,” the mayor said.
He was glad to see a good turnout this year, despite the weather. “Everybody loves it,” he said.
The key to the event’s success may just be its ability to reunite families.
“This is a family event,” said Alida Vasquez as she looked on to her daughter Emily and her father Richie. “Pops drove all the way from Ohio!”
Stats and winners
According to Recreation Director John Voli, hungry fishermen, whose ages ranged from 2 years old to 14 years old, ate 200 hotdogs, all washed down with soda and water that was provided free of charge. Despite the three-hour-long event being cut short at 10:30 a.m. due to thunder, participants still managed to catch 51 fish.
The winners were as follows. Largest fish: Stephen Chokes, 14-inch catfish. Largest bass: Joe Lowther, 8-inch. Largest catfish: Eva Rusch, 12-inch. Most fish: Kris Worthington, 8 caught. Smallest fish: Savannah Kochera, 3-inch sunfish. Youngest participant: Emily Raggi, 3 years old.
Winners received fishing gear donated by the Secaucus PBA and the Chief’s Community Youth Fund as prizes.